Feeding of webs of material



Jan. 28, 1964 J. GAGG FEEDING OF WEBS 0F MATERIAL 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 11, 1960 IN 5 N TOR A Tram/E7 Jan. 28, 1964 J. GAGG 3,119,211

FEEDING OF WEBS 0F MATERIAL Filed July 11, 1960 s Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY,

Jan. 28, 1964 Filed July 11, 1960 J. GAGG 3,119,211

FEEDING OF WEBS OF MATERIAL 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Mm" fd xgr-mlfl v 442;.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,119,211 FEEDING 6F WEBS 0F MATERIAL James Gagg, Deptford, London, England, assignor to Molins Machine Company Limited, a British company Filed July 11, 1961), Ser. No. 42,03h Claims priority, application Great Britain Feb. 20, 1957 2 Claims. (Cl. 53-14) This application is a continuationin-part of my copending application Serial No. 715,133, filed February 13, 1958, now abandoned.

This invention concerns improvements in or relating to the feeding of webs of material, and in particular, the super-imposition of a relatively narrow strip of material on a relatively Wide web while the latter is being fed.

In wrapping articles such as cigarette packets, it is often the practice to feed a continuous web of wrapping material and to cut it into wrapper blanks which are then wrapped about the articles. Frequently, and particularly when the wrapping material is a cellulosic material such as that known under the registered trademark Cellophane, a narrow strip of the same or a different material is passed about the article, inside the wrapper, with an end projecting so that it can be grasped and pulled to tear open the wrapper. Such strips are often described as tear strips. To provide wrappers with such tear strips, it is usual to feed a web of wrapping material from a reel,

md to feed a continuous, narrow strip from a further reel so as to be superimposed on the continuous web of wrapping material and secured to it by adhesive, thus forming a composite web, so that the wrapper blanks cut from the web are of a composite nature.

The present invention provides a method of, and apparatus for, wrapping packets in wrappers of cellulosic material, in which both the wrappers and their associated tear strips are provided, as a part of the continuous wrapping operation, from a single web of material drawn from a single reel, whereby the use of a separate, narrow reel of tear strip material is eliminated. This is accomplished by feeding lengthwise a web of material wider than the required width for a wrapper blank, continuously severing the moving web adjacent an edge thereof to separate from it a narrow strip, guiding the strip into superimposed relationship with the web and securing it thereto, severing the moving web and superimposed strip at intenvals to form wrapper blanks, and folding and securing said blanks in succession about successive packets, thereby producing wrapped packets provided with tear strips.

Where reference is made herein and in the appended claims to severing the moving web lengthwise, this expression is not to be understood as necessarily referring to a continuously moving web, and similarly, references to the lengthwise feeding of the web are not to be understood as being neceasarily limited to continuous lengthwise feeding of the web.

Apparatus in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a wrapping machine,

FIGURE 2 shows to an enlarged scale some of the mechanism shown in FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 3 is a plan of FIGURE 2.

In the wrapping machine illustrated, cigarette packets are wrapped in outer wrappers of the oellulosic material known under the registered trademark Cellophane. To accomplish this, a web of this material is fed continuously downwards across the path of a succession of moving packets P, FIGURE 1 which are pushed forwardly from a stack by pushers 31 on an endless conveyor 32, and is cut at intervals to form individual wrapper blanks each of which is wrapped about a packet. The cutting of the "ice web into blanks and the folding and securing of the blanks about packets is accomplished by means disclosed in Molins US. Patent No. 1,759,018.

The wrapping material is drawn from a reel 1, which in the present instance has rolled thereon a web of material wider than is required in a wrapper blank. For example, it may be 2 mm. wider.

This Wide web (indicated in FIGURE 2 by the reference WW) is drawn from the reel in the direction shown by the arrow, FIGURE 2, and passes between cutting means comprising a fixed knife 2 and a cylindrical member 3, which is rotatably mounted to act as a guide roller, and which also acts as a counter-surface to support the web against the pressure of the knife 2. The roller 3 has a circumferential groove 4 opposite the knife edge and into which the knife extends, as shown.

As can be seen in FIGURE 3, the groove 4 and knife 2 are so positioned in relation to the reel .1 that the knife slits the web 2 mm. from one edge of the web. The severing action of the knife results in the web being divided so that a strip 2 mm. wide is divided from it.

After passing the knife, the web from which a strip has been separated (indicated in the drawings by the reference W), is led over the roller 3 upwardly to a further guide roller 5, FIGURES 1 and 2, over which it passes to move horizontally to a further roller 6. From this roller 6 the web is led downwardly about rollers 7 and 3 towards cutting means comprising a rotatable knife 33 and a fixed knife 34 FIGURE 1, whereby it is out into individual wrapper blanks in the manner disclosed in US. Patent No. 1,759,018.

The narrow strip mentioned above, indicated in the drawings by the reference S, is led from the knife 2 through a fixed guide eyelet 9, over a fixed guide 10', and over a pulley 11. As shown in FIGURE 3, the arrangernent of the guides 9 and lil is such that the strip is led from the position at which it is separated from the web (that is, a position at the edge of the web WW) to a position at which it is opposite the centre of the Web W.

From the pulley 1 1 the strip is led over an ink-applying roller 12. The roller .12 dips in an ink bath :13, and a doctor blade 14, bears on the rim of the roller 12 to remove excess ink. From the roller .12 the strip S is led past a long heater element 15 and then moves into contact with the web over the roller 5. As shown in FIGURE 2, the strip is guided very close to the heater and this enables the ink on the undersurface of the srtip to become partially dry and tacky so that it will adhere quickly to the web.

The ink roller 12 is independently rotated by a motor 16, through gears 17 and 18, so that it can continue to rotate during temporary stoppages of the machine, and thus prevent ink drying on its surface. The gear 18 also drives a gear 19 to which isfixed a cam 20, which is engaged by a roller 21 mounted on an arm 22. A rod 23, on which is rotatably mounted a holder 24 for the doctor blade 14, is fixed to the arm 22 so as to be moved endwise to and fro, and thus cause the doctor blade to be reciprocated over the surface of the ink roller 12. The holder 24 is spring-urged towards the roller 12 by a spring 25 attached to a pin 26 on the holder, at stop 27 being provided to limit the clockwise movement of the pin 26.

In this way the strip S is superimposed on the web W. The ink applied to the underside of the strip by the roller 12 is sufficiently adhesive in character to cause the strip to adhere to the Web, and it will be appreciated that since the web is to be almost immediately cut into blanks, and the blanks wrapped about packets and secured, there is no need for the strip to be secured very firmly to the web; all that is necessary is that it should be held in place during the continued feeding of the web, the cutting of 3 the blanks, and the wrapping operation. If, of course, in any particular case a firmer adhesive is required, a suitable gum or other substance more adhesive than printing ink may be used.

The ink (or other adhesive substanw if used) is coloured according to requirements so as to make the strip easily distinguishable to the eye.

It will be understood that the web is cut into blanks in any suitable known way in such a manner that one end of the strip projects beyond an edge of the blank. For example it may be cut so that a tongue, which includes the strip, projects from one edge of the blank. For this purpose rollers 35 and 3 6 (FIGURE 1), between which the web passes before it reaches the cutters 33 and 34, are provided respectively with an arc-shaped groove and a correspondingly shaped cutter, as disclosed in US. Patent No. 1,759,018, which make an arc-shaped perforation at the middle of the web, the cutters 33 and 34 being arranged to sever the remainder of the width of the web.

The web is drawn downwardly by rotating feed rollers 37 and 38 and passes through a slot 39 in the bed of the machine. When a sufficient length has been fed downwards through the slot, the cutters 33 and 3 4 sever the web, and the resulting blank is engaged by a packet being moved towards the left, FIGURE 1, by a pusher 31. The packet and wrapper are thereafter pushed by the pusher through folders 39, gumming gear 40 and heated guides 41 to tucking mechanism 42 which transfers the packet to a rising platform 43 which pushes the packet vertically into a stacker 44, all as disclosed in US. Patent No. 1,759,018.

By the arrangement described, it will be seen that the application of a tear strip to a web of wrapping material is made considerably simpler than in conventional practice in which a continuous strip, wound on a separate reel, is supplied and fed separately from the web. Apart from the increased simplicity, the present arrangement has the further advantage that the strip, coming as it does from the same source as the web, will continue to be fed as long as the web is fed from the reel, whereas where the strip comes from a separate reel, that reel and the reel on which the web is wound may have to be renewed at different times. Further, the colour applied to the strip can, if desired, be changed at any time by changing the ink.

Webs of the material known under the registered trademark Cellophane are commonly supplied in different widths varying by millimetres. Accordingly if a strip 2 mm. wide is required, a reel web 2 mm. wider than the width required in the wrapper blank is employed.

It will be appreciated that if desired the ink or other coloured matter can be applied to the strip at desired spaced intervals only, instead of to the whole length of the strip. For example, it may be desired to leave part of the strip in each blank uncoloured so as. to avoid obscuring some particular part of the printed matter on the packet to be wrapped.

In an alternative construction, which it does not appear necessary to illustrate, the ink or other adhesive substance is applied to the Web, instead of to the strip, in a narrow line coinciding with the line along which the strip is to be applied. In this construction an applying roller such as the roller 12 may be located at any convenient place. For example it may be adjacent the web as it passes from the roller 3 to the roller 5, and in that case the applying roller may receive the ink or other substance from a further roller which dips into a. bath such as 14. Alternatively the roller 12 and bath 14- could be located beneath the web WW extending from the reel 1 to the roller 3.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A method of wrapping packets in wrappers of cellulosic material, with tear strips incorporated in the wrappers, comprising the steps of feeding lengthwise a Web of said material wider than the required width, continuously severing the moving Web adjacent an edge thereof to separate from it a single narrow strip, thereafter applying adhesive to one face of the separated strip, guiding the strip into superimposed relationship with the web with the adhesive coated face on said strip against the web, securing the superimposed strip to the web, severing the moving web and superimposed strip at intervals transversely of their lengths to form Wrapper blanks, and folding and securing said blanks in succession about successive packets, the severing of the web and strip and the folding of the blanks about packets being effected in such manner that the strip portion of each wrapper can be grasped and used as a tear strip to assist in tearing the wrapper.

2. In a wrapper machine, apparatus for wrapping packets in Wrappers of cellulosic material, comprising means to feed lengthwise a web of wrapping material, means operative to sever the moving web adjacent an edge thereof to separate from it a single narrow strip, means to apply adhesive to one face of said strip after separation thereof from the moving web, means to guide the said strip into superimposed relationship with the Web with the adhesive coated face of said strip against the web, means to secure the superimposed strip to the web, severing means to sever the web and superimposed strip at intervals transversely of their lengths to form wrapper blanks, means to feed packets in succession into engagement with said blanks, and wrapping means to fold and secure said blanks about said packets to form wrappers for the packets, said severing means and said wrapping means being arranged in co-operation to sever the Web and strip, and to fold and secure the blanks, in such manner that the strip portion of each wrapper so produced can be grasped and used as a tear strip to assist in tearing the wrapper.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,452,379 Haren Apr. 17, 1923 1,468,246 Molins Sept. 18, 1923 1,759,018 Molins May 20, 1930 2,272,407 Heckman Feb. 10, 1942 

1. A METHOD OF WRAPPING PACKETS IN WRAPPERS OF CELLULOSIC MATERIAL, WITH TEAR STRIPS INCORPORATED IN THE WRAPPERS, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF FEEDING LENGTHWISE A WEB OF SAID MATERIAL WIDER THAN THE REQUIRED WIDTH, CONTINUOUSLY SEVERING THE MOVING WEB ADJACENT AN EDGE THEREOF TO SEPARATE FROM IT A SINGLE NARROW STRIP, THEREAFTER APPLYING ADHESIVE TO ONE FACE OF THE SEPARATED STRIP, GUIDING THE STRIP INTO SUPERIMPOSED RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WEB WITH THE ADHESIVE COATED FACE ON SAID STRIP AGAINST THE WEB, SECURING THE SUPERIMPOSED STRIP TO THE WEB, SEVERING THE MOVING WEB AND SUPERIMPOSED STRIP AT INTERVALS TRANSVERSELY OF THEIR LENGTHS TO FORM WRAPPER BLANKS, AND FOLDING AND SECURING SAID BLANKS IN SUCCESSION ABOUT SUCCESSIVE PACKETS, THE SEVERING OF THE WEB AND STRIP AND THE FOLDING OF THE BLANKS ABOUT PACKETS BEING EFFECTED IN SUCH MANNER THAT THE STRIP PORTION OF EACH WRAPPER CAN BE GRASPED AND USED AS A TEAR STRIP TO ASSIST IN TEARING THE WRAPPER. 